On March 28, 2024, Toronto District School Board, together with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, Peel District School Board and Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, announced a lawsuit against tech giants Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook and Instagram), Snap Inc. (SnapChat), and ByteDance Ltd. (TikTok) for disruption to the education system. We allege that these companies have negligently designed and marketed addictive products that have disrupted our Board’s mandate to enhance student achievement and well-being.
Whether a student, parent, guardian or caregiver, many know firsthand the impact that social media products have had on students, rewiring the way that they think, act, behave, and learn. Educators are spending increased classroom time monitoring issues caused by social media and are forced to rework curriculum to meet the adapting needs of a student body with significant attention, focus, and mental health concerns; and the changing behavioral dynamics of the student population at large are causing massive shifts and resource demands. The fall-out of compulsive use of social media amongst students is causing huge strains on the Board’s finite resources.
While still in its early stages, this litigation calls on social media giants to make their products safer, to compensate our Board for its disruption to our mandate and our students’ fundamental right to education.
It is important to note that school boards will not be responsible for any costs related to the lawsuit unless a successful outcome is reached. Any funds recovered through the litigation will be allocated to meet the needs of our students (e.g., additional staff, technological safeguards, programming and training, etc.).
To learn more about the lawsuit and to follow developments, please visit the Schools for Social Media Change Alliance at www.schoolboardsforchange.ca.